Kenny Atkinson made it clear following the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ Game 2 victory that the Miami Heat “aren’t your typical 10-seed.”
Miami’s roster is full of veterans with previous playoff experience, all led by Erik Spoelstra, a future Hall of Fame coach.
The Heat showed this in Game 2 by cutting Cleveland’s 19-point second-half lead all the way down to two points in the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers still pulled away in the final minute to take a 2-0 series lead, but this test from Miami is actually a good thing for the Wine and Gold.
Donovan Mitchell said after the win that he’d rather win a game with clutch plays during high-leverage moments than a blowout.
“I love it. I love the fact that the game happened like this. I’d much rather this than win by 20 [points] like we did the other night back-to-back, especially going into an environment like we are in a few days,” said Mitchell after the game.
Spida went on to say that Miami’s comeback forced the Cavaliers to “really find a way as a group. We were up, we did a lot of things positive, did some negative things, and then we responded.”
Even though the Cavaliers hold a firm grip on the series lead, everything now shifts as the Heat take home-court advantage in Games 3 and 4.
However, Mitchell also pointed out that facing this test before traveling down to Miami could help the Cavs in the long run.
“So I think that’s just going to help on a night-to-night basis when we’re not making shots when we’re not executing. How do we find a way? How do we still have the will?” continued the star guard
“We always show it, especially during the regular season. But to see it come out the way [in Game 2], especially before going on the road, was definitely huge.”
One of the biggest critiques of this Cavaliers team is that they don’t have players with experience playing in big-time playoff moments.
The only way to get that experience is to actually compete in high-pressure moments, and the Heat are giving Cleveland that opportunity.
Although this is a scrappy, resilient, and gritty Heat group, they could end up helping the Cavaliers later in the playoffs if Cleveland can make it out of the first round.
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